Oh how compassionate. Now who are generous and able we are serious and time soon
to be by Providence cast that glance of favor upon us give light to where eyes
hearing to our ears and understanding and love to your hearts. Render our souls
joyous and happy through by glad tidings. Point out to us the pathway of the
kingdom and resuscitate all of us to the rest of the Holy Spirit bestow upon his
life everlasting and conferred upon us never ending on unified humankind and you
live in the world of humanity may we all follow like halfway long for the good
pleasure and seek the mysteries of the Kingdom of God unite us and
connect our hearts with the indissoluble. Verily that work the giver that work the
kind and our healing.
When you think Nancy only very much for the honor and privilege of addressing you
today and explaining something about our religion to hide.
And I especially think my my kindred my brother Cyrus for five for agreeing to
sit and speak with me today. First will give some historical
background. Saeed Mohammad Shirazi whom we call the bot meaning the gate
is the first of three central figures of the by
a born October twentieth eighteen nineteen insurance purchased and or intended
early age he was raised by a maternal uncle who placed him was still
a child under the care of the tutor the bot they were not trying to study
submitting to his uncle's will and directions his tutor was
a man of piety and learning and related this and. Went to the bar to
reciting the opening words of the Qur'an Bismillah there are areas he. In the name
of Allah the compassionate the merciful. He hasn't aged pleading that unless he
were told what these words signified he would in no wise attempt to pronounce them
I pretended not to know their meaning I know what these words signified observed my
pupil by your leave I will explain them. He supposed spoke with such knowledge and
fluency that I was struck with amazement he expounded the meaning of
a lot of rough draft heem in turn such as I had neither read nor heard this
weakness of these utterance still lingers in my memory I felt impelled to take him
back to his uncle and deliver him into his hands the trust he had committed to my
care. I determined to tell him how unworthy I felt to teach some remarkable child.
Keep him in your house for he verily stands in no need of teaching such
a sign. At the age of twenty four on May twenty third
eight hundred forty four the body of knowledge that he was the promised coyote that
mighty and wrote hundreds of letters and books and tablets in which he stated his
messianic claims and to find his teachings which constituted
a new religious law his tens of thousands of followers were posed by Iran's Shia
clergy and were suppressed by the Iranian government leading to the persecution and
killing of many thousands of bodies. At the age of thirty the bomb was executed by
firing squad into priests July night eight hundred fifty
a margin that we commemorate here. We like in the bar to John the Baptist as he
learned every one of the coming of the hollow of the necks of God's messengers.
The glory of God was born to
a family of nobility on the twelfth November eighteenth seventeen to run the
capital of Persia present day Iraq Hala first heard of it except to the Bob's
claims when he was twenty seven and became himself. He was constantly persecuted
and imprisoned. One of the mostly tourist dungeons in the Near East is to Ron's
black pit in this green setting the rarest and most cherished of religious events
was once again played out mortal man our lives human in other respects was summoned
by God to bring humanity and new religious revelation the year was eight hundred
fifty two and the man the Persian nobleman known today as behold. During his
imprisonment as he sat his feet in stalks and one hundred pound of iron chain
around his neck how received
a vision of God's will for humanity. This event is comparable to those other great
moments of the ancient past when God we feel himself to his earlier messengers when
Moses stood before the burning bush with the Buddha received enlightenment under
the bodhi tree. With the Holy Spirit in the form of descended upon Jesus.
Or when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to. On April twenty first eight hundred
sixty three Apollo entered the garden of research on your Baghdad on means paradise
so that would be the Garden of Paradise. Hala and those accompanying him stayed in
the garden for twelve days before he managed to Constantinople during this time
Hala first to clear to his companions his perceived mission and station as
a messenger of God We regard this period with great significance and celebrate the
twelve days that the Holocaust spent in this garden as the Festival of response. He
died May twenty nine eight hundred ninety two and age seventy five and his
instrument in Haifa Israel where many of the highest visit on the pilgrimage. The
last of the three central figures of the behind me is the eldest son of the hollow
born August attendee into round May twenty third eight hundred forty four the same
day as the declaration of the body he is known as out to. The servant of God We are
very. Hollow point to him as his successor as leader of the by faith as the in
stores agent expounder and perfect exemplary of the high teachings and as the
central highlands covenant He was only eight years old when his father was first
imprisoned after which family life was constant poverty and persecution. During
nineteen eleven thousand nine hundred thirteen he travelled extensively to France
England and to the USA in one nine hundred twelve to teach the world about the
behind thing many of his lectures are reprinted in collections called Paris talks
and the promulgation of universal peace both of which are available in the local
library. The first world war broke out in the year after up
to my house returned from his Western journeys for
a time to learn how moved most of the guys out of the high pocket area because of
the three. At ally of the coast leader the danger to up to my husband was renewed
through threats of the Turkish commander there was also found him countless times
eventually the war years passed in the British Mandate over Cowes time Robin threat
to my heart to end his final years saw the growing stream of visitors and pilgrims
from all parts of the world who came to Haifa to see him he was awarded
a knighthood by the British government on the twenty seventh of April nineteenth
twenty one July heart die in his house in Haifa Israel on the twenty eighth of
November one thousand twenty one. In response to some of his followers who wanted
to result in is a prophet or maybe even
a manifestation of God He wrote. My name is not. Serving
to your glorious. My qualification is up to behind. My reality
is up to the heart of my praise because I'm to. Thraldom to the bliss of perfection
is my glorious and refulgent Thailand and servitude to all human race my complexion
religion no name no title no mention no commendation have I nor will I ever have
except I'll do my part this is my longing this is my greatest your inning This is
my eternal life this is my everlasting glory.
Now series will explain what the Manifestation of God is and talk about the
progressive revelation.
Behind. Behind. This is the.
Spiritual terminology and concepts that go hand in hand.
With their teaching. To better understand the behind me we need to elaborate on
two fundamental by terms and preach. That is the Manifestation of
God and progressive revelation.
The Manifestation of God. This term is synonymous with the great prophets
of God. Another is God's children messenger.
Behind Scrooge
a state that. God had both of these luminous genders of
holiness to appear out of. The spirit. In the new form
of the human. And he made many things.
That they mean or unto the world the mystery of the changes.
These Manifestations of God are not God in. That is there
not God descended on earth. But
a reflection of his action. Just as
a mirror reflects the sun but is not the sun itself.
Regarding this but there was no doubt of
a certainty. That the on the scene again in no wise in the car
meet his essence and revealing. And to me. He
is and have to be immensely exalted beyond all that can
either be recounted or worse. As you know his mercy However.
And is
a proof of his loving. He had manifested unto me in the
day stars of his divine guidance. The symbols of His divine
unity. And had fourteen the knowledge of these sanctified to be
to be identical with the knowledge of his.
Who show recognizes them. Recognize God.
Who showed how can it today. And.
Who show testifies to the truth of their mission. Over
regulation and testify to the truth.
And. For the Baha'i state that they are the manifestations of God
amidst man the evidence is of His truth. And the sign
of His glory. Every one of them is the way of God.
That connected this world with the realm above.
And this brings us to the second of both concepts and this is very crucial to
the. Progressive Revelation. Behind believe that all
these great manifestations have this seems period although their outward forms are
different and their revelations occurred at different times in civilizations
history but how listed the divine messengers have been set down
in their books were revealed for the purpose of promoting the knowledge of God and
furthering the unity and fellowship amongst man. That in this common
divine purpose something mankind to come. And come from the
scene the souls of light and light. As such they are to be regarded
as. One source. Regarding this policy will
the bearers of the trust of God I mean manifest unto the peoples of the earth
as the explanations of evil. And the revealed years of the evil.
In his majesty the birds of the celestial throne are all sent down from the Heaven
of the will of God. And has the all
a right to brutally is being resisted both. They.
Are regarded as one's. Seen first. For the moldering
from the one of them. And all. Of the fruit
of the same tree. And so by believe that the
great religions of the bonds were all different stages in the history and
constant evolution of one religion. And indivisible.
Seen in this life. Abraham. Krishna.
The. Most. Dr.
Mohammad. The bomb. And behold our.
Station. Successively sent to mankind to help lift them
spiritually and materially and to unify them in progressive the
greater. World with each dispensing social
evolution has
a chance. As this goal of men's sense of loyalty to group has become.
From the family to the clan. Trying City-State nation
and ultimately to the recognition of the oneness of man. The distinguishing feature
of the Revelation. In. But I
believe this is. So that mankind me eventually period
world. This is the golden age all.
That. This world may experience what has been stated in the Lord's.
Will. Now Stephanie will.
Explain or provide
a few. Primary belief. I
think about the progressive revelation that. My perception of it and
something I most love about the behind it is that it's rather that we are right and
they're wrong it's more like we're all right. I looked at the Orthodox in
the ORs approx what do we believe and what do we practice. And I like to
see there one in the same I like to think that if you observe what someone
practices you know what they believe. They will specify unless. There's
a little cards on the table and case. Is
a quiz later that. The ten primary behind beliefs.
And the include that we believe in One God. We believe in the oneness of humanity
it's incumbent upon all Bahais to do all they can to promote the oneness of
humankind. We believe in investing independent investigation of truth you'll know
again we have known where to eat and specific leaders are teachers and so it's
incumbent upon all of us to seek and find truth and not rely on just the say so of
others. The essential harmony of science and religion. Be equality of
men and women. The elimination of prejudice of all kinds including gender
racial religious and financial. We believe in universal compulsory
education. And that would assist greatly in the Independent Investigation of Truth
. We believe in spiritual solutions to economic problems something I'm reading
about
a lot lately. We believe in universal auxiliary language and that would contribute
greatly to better communication and therefore unity throughout the world. We
believe in universal peace of health by
a World Federation would not be unlike the European Union or the way that the
United States government is set up that preserves the independence of the states
and allows us to cooperate.
Essentially Bahais believe that the purpose of our creation is to know and to love
God but how do we do that. We practice what we perceive are the
attributes of God which are sometimes perceived as human virtues some of you are
familiar with the virtues project and it has
a very similar intent can ask Andy about. It in
a similar way and I have to tell you I was very touched to see an excerpt from this
prayer in your in your program today. But let me share this passage from the how
this brings. Be generous in prosperity and thankfully an intercity be worthy of the
trust of my neighbor and look upon him with the pride and friendly face be
a treasure to the poor and monitor to the rich an answer to the crime in need of
preserve the same. To to my pledge be fair in my judgement and guarded in my speech
be unjust to no one and show me his to all be as
a lamp unto them that walk in darkness and joy into the sorrowful the sea for the
thirsty
a haven for the distressed and the holder and defender of the victims of oppression
let integrity in the greatness distinguish all finance be a home for the stranger
a bunch of the suffering
a tower of strength for the fugitive the eyes to the blind and guiding light into
the feet of the airing be an ornament to the countenance of truth
a crown to the brow of fidelity a pillar of the temple of righteousness
a breath of life to the body of mankind an ensign of the hosts of justice and
luminary above the horizon of virtue
a due to the soil of the human heart and are on the ocean of the knowledge
a son in the heaven of bounty a gem on the diadem of wisdom
a shining light in the firmament of my generation the fruit upon the tree of
humility. We pray God to protect you from the heat of jealousy and the cold of
hatred there really is night and ready to answer.
This is what we believe and this is what we practice. I have to say to you again
for your invitation especially on behalf of. The Buckeyes in Iran today who
continue to be persecuted imprisoned. And seriously if you will remember to
to close with these with these words delivered by to my heart during one of his
visits here in one thousand twelve December.
These are live easily my farewell to you. Here is he gets ready to depart
for I was feeling on the fifth of the month. Wherever I went in this country
I returned him always to New York City. This is my fourth. Or
fifth visit here and now I am going away to the Orient.
It will be difficult for me to visit this country in good except it will be the
will of God I must therefore give you mine struction and exhortations to me and
these are none other than the teachings of.
You must manifest complete love and affection. Toward.
Do not each soul you shown above others but consider all is your equal
recognising them as the servants I. Know that God is compassionate towards
all day for love all from the day you. Prefer all
religionists before yourself. Be filled with love for every race
and be kind to words to all nationalities. Never speak disparagingly of
others but praise them without distinction. Pollute
not touched by speaking ill evil of. Recognize your
enemies as free and consider those who wish you evil and the wish yourself.
You must not see evil is evil and need to compromise with your appeal.
For to treat in
a smooth kindly way. Why don't you consider people in here. And
this is not really. You must consider you enemies is
your friend. Look at your evil as you
wish and. You know we that you are mean
we. Let not your be offended with.
If someone commits
a gear drawn towards you. You must instantly. Do
not. Refrain from River Manny and you wish to
give ammunition or advice. Let it be. In such
a way that. They are. Turning your thoughts towards really
joining. The. List.
Just the world of humanity as much as. Being
a sort of consolation to every said one assist every.
Be
a goal be helpful to me in the engine here for the race. Being
in force or glorification to carry me and show those who
share your life here. In really let each one of you be as
a shining with the light of the full truth of humanity. Be trust with
sincere affection and please. Be you be
Spiritual be divine be glorious be quickened.
War war war.
Or are.
The
bank
man.